Jerry Adler, who spent decades behind the scenes on Broadway before reinventing himself in the 1960s as a television actor, most remembered as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on HBO’s “The Sopranos” and Howard Lyman on CBS’s “The Good Wife,” has died. He was 96.
Adler died Saturday in New York, where he lived, according to his family. The cause was not disclosed.
On “The Sopranos,” Adler played Hess, a Jewish music producer and loan shark with long-standing ties to the Sopranos crime family. Not a member of Tony Sopranos’ inner circle, but close enough to trust, he was one of the few who could speak sharply to James Gandolfini’s mob boss without fear of reprisal. Adler remained with the series from the 1999 pilot until the final season in 2007, a steady presence in Tony’s world.
Hess appeared in some of the show’s most memorable arcs, helping Tony’s protégé Christopher and his girlfriend Adriana with their ill-fated foray into the music business, joining Tony at a horse race, and in the final season, watching their relationship sour when his boss pressured him into a large loan.
Steven Van Zandt, Adler’s “Sopranos” castmate and guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, paid tribute to Adler on social media: “Such an honor working with you. Travel well, my friend.”
While “The Sopranos” launched several previously little-known actors to instant fame, Adler’s rise was unusual, the culmination of more than four decades spent behind the scenes on Broadway before he ever stepped in front of the camera.
The Brooklyn native, born on February 4, 1929, began his career as an assistant stage manager on “Gentlemen Prave Freite Blondes” in 1950 and went on to work as stage manager, production manager or director on more than 50 shows, including the original “My Fair Lady,” Harold Pinter’s “Homecoming” and “The Apple Tree,” directed by Mike Nichols. He also directed several productions.
By the 1980s, he had moved to Los Angeles to be closer to his children and found steady work as a stage manager on daytime television. It wasn’t until his early 60s that acting came into the picture. After debuting on CBS’s “Brooklyn Bridge” in 1991, Adler found steady film and TV work as a character actor in the 1990s, appearing in Joe Pesci’s “Public Eye” (1992) and Woody Allen’s “Manhattan Murder Mystery” (1993).
After “The Sopranos,” Adler remained a familiar presence on television. He joined “The Good Wife” in 2011 as Howard Lyman, a blowhard, extra-crime partner at the Lockhart/Gardner law firm. What was originally intended as a one-time guest spot turned into a recurring role over six seasons, with Adler reprising the part in “The Good Fight” in 2017 and 2018.
Adler also recurred on FX’s “Rescue Me” as Fire Chief Sidney Feinberg and appeared in series ranging from “Northern Exposure” and “Crazy About You” to “Transparent” and “Broad City.” His film credits include “In Her Shoes” (2005), “Synecdoche, New York” (2008) and “The Most Important Year” (2014).
Adler returned to Broadway as a performer late in life, appearing in Elaine May’s 2000 comedy “Taller Ther A Dwarf” and Larry David’s “Fish in the Dark” in 2015. Adler’s final screen credit came in the 2019 revival season of “Mad About You.” In 2024, he published a memoir, “Too Funny for Words: Behind-the-scenes Tales from Broadway, Television, and Film,” which chronicles his unusual journey through show business.
On Instagram, “Sopranos” co-star Michael Imperioli , who played Christopher, praised Adler as “a fantastic actor and the kindest of people. He brought so much humor, intelligence, and truth to the role of Herman “Hesh” Rabkin and was one of my favorite characters on “The Sopranos.” I loved working with and spending time with Jerry.”
Survivors include his wife, Joan Laxman, whom he married in 1994, and his daughters, Alice, Amy, Laura and Emily.
